The unmarked graves of 16 soldiers will receive the recognition they deserve, when their newly made gravestones are unveiled at a special Graveside Dedication Service taking place on Saturday 27th July at Proserpine Old Cemetery.
In the many years before, the 11 soldiers from WW1 and the five from WW2, have gone without any form of headstone, with one soldier in particular, Joseph Leary, having laid there for 102 years. This has meant that the families and the community have not been able to commemorate their lives and service.
Up until recently, temporary white crosses were constructed by dedicated volunteers, to mark the resting places of the soldiers.
Organiser of the event Lyn Burke, mentioned how, before the crosses, very sadly, there was “nothing to remember that they existed.”
The day's events will consist of a welcome address by Jason Rateri, a Welcome To Country by the niece of one of the Indigenous soldiers, Robert Petersen, a speech by special guest Colonel Boniface Aruma, some prayers, a minute of silence and a national anthem sung by around 30 individuals from Mommas and Poppas.
Alongside some other proceedings, the day will close with the unveiling of the headstones and a light lunch provided at Proserpine R.S.L.
Many members of the community have got involved with the momentous event, including the Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Car Club who paid out over $5,000.00 for the plaques and formwork for the headstones. Additionally, members of the club came and assisted in putting up over 400 flags in the Proserpine Old Cemetery a week before ANZAC day in 2023.

The Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Car Club, decided to provide money to the cause, having noticed the timber white crosses that had been erected for the soldiers whilst helping out before ANZAC day. Having felt that something more needed to be done for the soldiers, funds raised from their car show went towards the headstone project.

Alongside the Whitsunday Old Iron Restorers Car Club, many other Proserpine community groups have assisted by crocheting poppies, sewing plaque covers and making reefs.

Concrete for the headstones was also supplied by Concrete Product Australia and Proserpine Tilt Trays is carting them to the cemetery.
Lyn added how some of the soldier's family would be in attendance, despite the majority of the men not having anybody:
“Seems to be the case for these guys, they came back and didn’t have anybody.”

Lyn encourages everyone to come on down and celebrate the lives of the soldiers who were for a long time forgotten about.

She also mentioned, how she would love if students and younger generations would come along, as they are the future of projects like this.

When asked why it is important for people to go and support the soldiers on the day, Lyn said the day is:

“To remember them in the future, so they are not lost and forgotten."

"We want them remembered. This will make them visible to their community."

‍

What: Graveside Dedication Service
When: 27th July 2024, 10:30AM
Where: Proserpine Old Cemetery

Edwin Packett, Served in the Boer War & WW1
George Usher Served at Gallipoli and the Western Front in WW1 and Served Proserpine During WW2, with the Volunteer Defence Force

‍

All Weekend Activities
   • Window Dressing Competition by Mackay & Whitsunday Life Newspaper
   • Carnival Rides
   • Whitsunday Foodservice Eat Street
   • Immerse Art Installation
   • Art Exhibition at Whitsunday Sailing Club
   • Junior Art Exhibition at Brigitte Peel Art Studio
Thursday 1st August
   • 6:00pm Reef Trivia at Coral Sea Marina Resort
Friday 2nd August  
   • 8:00am Reef Experience with Cruise Whitsundays
   • 5:30pm Camira Twilight & Fireworks Cruise
   • 5:30pm Whitsunday Foodservice Night Markets & Eat Street
   • 6:00pm Coral Sea Marina Lantern Parade
   • 6:00pm Beats on the Beach featuring DJ Charly Templar & Conrad Sewell
   • 6:00pm Taste of Treason cocktail party at Sailing Club Point
   • 6:30pm Welcome to Country and traditional song & dance
   • 6:50pm Finding Dory Movie Screening
   • 8:30pm Sebel Whitsundays Fireworks
Saturday 3rd August  
   • 10:00am Main Street Fun!
   • 10:00am ENZED Whitsundays Revvin’ the Reef & Pin-up Comp
   • 3:00pm Wilmar Sugar Wearable Arts Parade
   • 4:00pm Coral Coast Fire Magic Mile
   • 5:00pm Rotary Street Parade
   • 6:00pm Airlie Events Beats on the Beach featuring Matty Rogers Band & Perry Street Park
Sunday 4th August
   • 10:00am Whitsunday Escape Recyclable Regatta
   • 10:00am Ark Energy Family Fun Day
   • 2:00pm Chill in the Park live entertainment featuring Matty Rogers

‍

Whitsundays Writers Festival has just announced the longlist for its inaugural Best Unpublished Manuscript Award which has been launched in honour of the original Festival Founder, Gloria Burley.

Returning for the first time since 2017, the much-anticipated 2024 Whitsundays Writers Festival is bringing it with a host of new events offering an exciting opportunity for writers, poets, and book cover designers across Australia.

In a bold initiative, the Festival launched earlier this year the Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, offering substantial cash prizes to recognise and honour outstanding contributions to the literary and design landscape.

The Heart Awards’ mission is to spotlight the diverse talents within the Australian creative community while also paying homage to the captivating Heart Reef—a natural wonder found in the Whitsundays region.

Festival President Karen Jacobsen expressed enthusiasm for the awards program, “Beyond assembling some of Australia’s celebrated authors in Airlie Beach, our Festival will also celebrate and champion homegrown writing and design talent. The Heart Awards epitomise our commitment to nurturing creativity and honouring the legacy of festival founder Gloria Burley.”

Gloria was the driving force in the establishment of the Whitsunday Writers Festival, which ran 2010-17. She penned two books titled A Rolling Stone Gathers No Husbands, chronicled many of her travels, with Gloria visiting more than 100 different countries during her life, and Blood & Guts that sums up her exploits as a nurse in regional Australia. Gloria passed away from cancer in 2018.  

The award for Best Unpublished Manuscript is named in Gloria’s honour, offering $2,500 for first prize and $1,000 for the runner up for the best original and unpublished creative fiction works. The award sought submissions from around Australia of 12,000 words of completed unpublished stories.

The following submissions have been selected:

   • Compass: Losing Him, Jessica Ellen Pryor (NSW) drama/romance.
   • Condemnation to Beasts, Noah Bennett (Vic), crime/thriller, romance.
   • Constant Companions, Tara East (Qld), drama.
   • Island Wolf, Rachel Armstrong (Qld), fantasy/sci-fi, romance.
   • Italian by Default, Margaret Walker (NSW), drama.
   • Rescue Remedy, Jane Carrick (NSW), crime/thriller.
   • Rose and Graham, Lesley Boland (Qld), drama.
   • Starts with C, Garry R McDougall (NSW), crime/thriller, historical.
   • Strange Affliction, Greg Woodland (NSW), horror, romance.
   • The Christmas Cult, Catherine Owen (NSW), comedy-drama.  
   • The Longest August, J.C. Burke (NSW), crime/thriller.  
   • The Murder Tree, Greg Woodland (NSW), crime/thriller.
   • The Paris Artists, Kellie Cox (Qld), romance.
   • UnCommon Thread, Meg Dunley (Vic), historical.  

The judging panel has diligently reviewed blind submissions (all author information removed) against five selection criteria of originality and creativity, plot and storytelling, character development, setting and atmosphere, dialogue and voice, and emotional impact.

The longlist submissions are currently under further consideration. From the longlist, a final shortlist will be selected from which winners will emerge and be announced on Saturday 7 September 2024.

For Festival program highlights and confirmed speaker line-up visit our website: www.whitsundayswriters.com

‍

The Whitsundays Writers Festival Best Unpublished Manuscript Award honours the legacy of festival founder Gloria Burley. Photo supplied

‍

A group of local students have made a big difference in the lives of hundreds of young Fijian children who this week received specially created school packs containing books, pens and other educational resources they would not normally have access to.

Year 12 student and School Captain Hazel Farrell visited Fiji in person and hand-delivered the packages which had been compiled by her school friends at St Catherine’s Catholic College and partnering school, St Mary’s Catholic School in Bowen through the Catherine McAuley Society.

‍

The group of St Catherine’s Catholic College students compiled school packs to give to Fijian students. Photo supplied

‍

Fijian Smiles!
School Children Receive Educational Packs

Hand-delivering the lovingly created school packs to hundreds of Fijian school children was a big moment for Whitsunday local, Hazel Farrell, who had been working with her school friends on a sustainability project that was set to provide a meaningful impact to the whole community.

Visiting the remote Fijian school during one of her regular trips having been visiting the region since she was a young child, Hazel had the honour of delivering these school packs on behalf of her fellow students who she had been working on the project with. Part of a Catherine McAuley Society initiative, the students had elected to compile the handy school packs as part of the sustainability project lead by Elenore Balldock and initiated by much-loved teacher Ms Shantae Ryle.

The intention of the packs was to provide young Fijian school children with resources their families would not usually be able to afford. This in-turn would ease the financial stresses of living within the communities and enable people to lead more sustainable lives. Without needing to follow such practices as over-fishing the reef just so they could afford ‘luxuries’ such as school books.

Over 140 primary school age children were the lucky recipients of the lovingly compiled school packs and Hazel said the response she received when handing them over made her heart melt.

“It was absolutely unreal!” she expressed.  

“They were so excited and couldn’t wait to see what was in the bags! They all wanted to hold my hand and we spent time reading some of the books with them, it was a truly magical experience and one I will remember my whole life.”

The project began back in Proserpine and Bowen with a team of dedicated students selling the little packs to school friends from $5 - $15. Each student was then encouraged to write a little note to go inside their pack to connect with a fellow Fijian school student who would then receive, not only the pack, but also a new pen pal. Hazel and her friends raised over $1000 for the project and purchased excess luggage to transport the precious parcels to Fiji.

Located in the Yasawa Island Group off the Western coast off Viti Levu in Fiji, The Naviti District School is on Naviti Island, and the children come from four surrounding island villages – Muaria, Kese, Marou and Malevu – often travelling up to one and a half hours to get to school each day. They have a very basic standard of living with frequent power outages and are often at the mercy to weather systems such as cyclones, flooding and drought. Families rely heavily on the reef which can often become over-fished, and they have to manage sewerage in the communities to prevent harmful run-off reaching the reef systems.

For the past 20 years, Airlie Beach based company Reef Safari Diving, has been
been working in the Yasawa area in association with two tourist resorts; Barefoot Kuata and Barefoot Manta. The businesses have a strong commitment to reef conservation and community welfare, always looking for opportunities to help and give back.

Rob MacFarlane is the Head Marine Biologist at Reef Safari and has resided in Fiji for the past seven years. During this time, he has been collaborating regularly with the local school, each week he offers free swimming lessons to the students, teaches them about coral planting and orchestrates beach clean-ups. These initiatives offer the school children practical skills and education about conserving their precious natural environment for generations to come.

Rob delivered the school packs with Hazel and said he was blown-away by the incredible efforts the Whitsunday students had gone to.

“What Hazel and the rest of the students have done is absolutely amazing!” he said.

“It was a huge effort, and it was incredibly exciting to see how well it was received. We look forward to this being part of a much bigger partnership and want to continue on this trajectory.”

Hazel is also eager to continue this connection and looks forward to bringing more supplies back to the communities again in September. She encourages anyone in the community to get involved by donating items or money to assist with the project. All donations will go directly to benefit the Fijian communities in the form of stationary, exercise books and ‘readers’. The Whitsunday students are also currently raising money for a microscope and slides.

If you would like to get involved please email Julia Farrell from Reef Safari on info@reefsafari.com

‍

Hazel Farrell delivering the school packs to the young children in Fiji
Happy faces
The ‘school bus’ – a small boat that transports the children up to an hour and a half to school each day
Hazel said handing out the packs was a magical experience

‍

Three women have died and several other people are in a serious condition following a devastating head-on collision between a Greyhound Bus and a four-wheel drive vehicle towing a caravan.
At approximately 11am on Sunday, a Greyhound bus carrying 33 passengers collided with a four-wheel drive that was towing a caravan, on the Bruce Highway, eight kilometres north of Gumlu.
Three women have been confirmed dead at the scene, including 56-year-old Grandma who is believed to have been travelling to Townsville with her daughter and four grandchildren.
On Tuesday Townsville Hospital and Health Service confirmed that  four men remained in hospital. The two severely injured males, aged 23 and 22 were airlifted to hospital and remain in critical condition. The two other males, aged 27 and 51 are both stable. Three other passengers were discharged on Sunday.
An RACQ CQ Rescue spokesperson stated, “the first patient was flown from the accident at Gumlu to Ayr Hospital. The second was flown from the scene directly to Townsville hospital in a critical condition.”
A spokesperson from Queensland Police Services stated, that there is currently no speculation surrounding the incident, and no blame being attributed to date. Multiple crews from Townsville and Mackay as well as local officers attended the scene alongside QAS ambulance, RACQ CQ rescue services and Queensland Fire and Rescue Services.
Graeme Paine, Queensland Police Superintendent, mentioned that the bus was travelling north and the car was traveling south, with all fatalities and injuries occurring among the passengers on the bus.
Superintendent Paine, described the crash as “very, very confronting.”

“A very significant impact, and very significant consequences,” he added.

The Bruce Highway re-opened that evening around midnight, after being closed for 13 hours, from 11am Sunday when the crash took place.
The vehicles, crashed near the Queensland Rail’s North Coast rail line between Bobawaba and Gumlu, with the bus partially on the tracks, impacting the rail corridor. Queensland Rail has confirmed that the rail line reopened on Monday.

“Queensland Rail crews arrived onsite this morning and completed necessary repair works, including sleeper replacements and track realignment.”

Six fire trucks attended the scene and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, confirmed that whilst there was no fire present at the scene, there were, “several entrapments,” with individuals having to be rescued from the bus.

From 1 January 2023 to 31 May 2024, there have been 287 road fatalities in Queensland alone and in Australia totally, 1,301 fatalities. The Queensland Police Service urges individuals to remember the Fatal Five driving rules when on the roads: speeding, drink driving, failing to wear seatbelts and driving while tired or distracted. All of the Fatal Five driving rules are major contributors to lives lost on our roads and are all avoidable.

‍

Hi Everyone,
 
It’s great to be back after a week holidaying in Mission Beach!
 
We had a fabulous time despite the rain and really enjoyed bringing our giant Border Collie, Finn, along for his first family holiday.
 
Spending a concentrated amount of time with the kids opened my eyes to a few things – firstly – the incredible amount of energy they have and their desire to keep going non-stop all day – how do they do it?
 
I am definitely at the stage in my life where real joy is found in watching them play, rather than participating - although I do get involved as much as possible with their endless games of ‘pop-up tiggy’.
 
The second thing I realised is – jeeze – kids grow up fast! Blink and you will miss it – literally!
 
Watching them all walk along bush tracks, race along beaches and jump into the (freezing cold) swimming pool was very special and a reminder of how quickly they are growing – now aged 12, 9 and seven.
 
I look forward to savouring more of these precious family moments before they all become grumpy teenagers and only want lifts to see friends rather than spend time with us!
 
Anyway, it’s great to be back in the office this week as we embark on a full-scale double deadline for Core Life Magazine.
 
Once again, the team, here in the office, in Mackay and the Burdekin are doing an absolutely incredible job of juggling a million things at once and pushing forward with all their might to reach the finish line.
 
By the time you read this on Friday, we will hopefully have gone to print with Core Life Magazine and quite possibly be enjoying a well-earned drink!
 
Rach
 
Quote of the Week: “Be water my friend” (Bruce Lee).

‍

Happy faces and big smiles were the order of the day for a group of Endeavour Foundation clients who were invited to a fantastic day on the water with Red Cat Adventures.
 
The lucky individuals enjoyed a range of activities catered specifically for their skill levels and abilities, with all the crew onboard dedicating themselves to the comfort and enjoyment of their guests.  
 
Support Carer Ricki Conn said that everyone had a special time and created memories they will cherish forever.
 
“The staff went above and beyond any expectations I had,” she expressed.
 
“Everybody felt included and had many opportunities to try new things. The real highlight was when they got to jump on the back of a jet ski with one of the guides.”
 
With key enhancements like a wheelchair-friendly vessel, accessible information, a dedicated accessibility webpage, marked accessible tours, and trained staff, Red Cat Adventures is ensuring that everyone can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands without barriers.
 
Inclusivity at its finest!

‍

The group from Endeavour Foundation had an incredible time out on the water. Photo credit: Marianna Photography

‍

B Kinder Day took place across Australia on the 22nd June, with local schools and businesses across the region participating in events over the last few weeks.
B Kinder Day celebrates the life of 12-year-old Billie Kinder, who tragically lost her life in a horse-riding incident in May 2016. Billie is known as an extraordinary girl who had the gift of giving.
Billie’s legacy has become one of kindness. Billies mum and CEO and Founder of B Kinder, Danny Mason-Kinder, created the foundation and B Kinder Day to empower and inspire others, spread kindness and combat bullying within schools.
This year, every school in the Whitsundays celebrated B Kinder day, with the recent additions of Proserpine Kindergarten, Proserpine High School and now Proserpine Primary School.
The Lions Club got involved again this year, providing B Kinder cards for Cannonvale State school, for the children to write messages of kindness:
Some of the businesses and groups that got involved were Fat Frog Cafe, Whitsunday Suicide Prevention Network, Proserpine Vet, Subway (who provided cookies for the Under 8’s day in Bowen), Milwaukee, BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays and Tennis Whitsunday.
When speaking about Tennis Whitsundays, Danny mentioned how it was “fantastic to have a sporting club” involved this year.
Danny also mentioned all the individuals who celebrated the day personally:
“We have a lot of friends up there, so I know a lot of people did it personally.”
B Kinder Ambassador, Tessa Jolley, visited Proserpine High School, where Danny said Tessa had a “really good talk with them.”
Danny said it was hard to pick a highlight from the year as, “the level of engagement every year gets better and better.”
“I think it's become something that's really embedded in the calendar now every year, and the schools look forward to it, it's a really nice day for the kids to engage and connect with each other, and it's just a really lovely, positive day.”
Individuals in the schools and businesses have started dressing up in rainbow colours and being creative with the photos they take:
“This year it's become a little bit of a thing that all the kids dress up in different colours in their classes and then they make human rainbows.”
Some of the community has been using drones to take their pictures while others have positioned themselves to write the “words B Kind or made human rainbow colours,” Danny enthused.
Danny wanted to thank everyone who got involved this year:
“The support of B Kinder and Billie’s legacy, is huge, especially in her home town, it means so much to us that everyone still thinks of Billie and keeps getting involved, it's amazing”

‍

B Kinder Day at Fat Frog Café over the weekend
B Kinder Ambassador, Tessa Jolley, visited Proserpine High School
Children get involved at Tennis Whitsundays
B Kinder Day at BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays
Prossie High love getting involved with B Kinder Day each year

‍

Photos supplied

‍

An impressive 49 local tourism operators have taken part in the Whitsunday Healthy Heart Project (WHHP) and committed to measuring their operational carbon footprint, gaining an understanding of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sources, and adopting a plan to reduce emissions where possible.
A major source of emissions from the tourism sector is via the consumption of electrical power, and as of May 2024, almost 50% of all emissions measured in the tourism sector are from electricity.
Tourism businesses have been investigating practical ways to reduce their electricity consumption or offset their emissions and one of the simplest ways is via the purchase of clean renewable energy certificates.
While many tourism businesses would like to use an onsite clean energy solution, such as solar to reduce their emissions, the capital upfront cost, limited capacity to satisfy required power needs and the difficulty of installing solar systems on leased properties make the potential of purchasing clean renewable energy an attractive proposition.
Climate Change Resilience Officer Lee Hawkins, “Choosing to invest in renewable energy provides several benefits to tourism businesses including supporting Australian renewables, reducing operational emissions, and increasing their green ratings.”
In the Whitsundays, clean and renewable energy certificates can be purchased from Ergon Energy. The purchase of the certificates enables funds to be directed towards renewable energy projects located all over regional Queensland.
Tourism businesses that subscribe to purchase 10% or more of clean energy, may also be entitled to tell their customers that they are doing their bit to reduce GHG emissions by displaying the GreenPower logo on company signage and marketing material.
To purchase clean energy certificates only takes a few minutes and you can cancel at any time without penalty- simply contact the Ergon Clean Energy team on 1300 135 210

‍

From the 7-14th July, the Whitsundays will be full of festivities to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The week of fun includes the Welcome to Whales Festival inclusive of a traditional formal welcoming to the whales by the traditional owners. Also included in the itinerary is a flag-raising ceremony and march that will take place on Monday in both Bowen and Proserpine.
Festivities will conclude with a NAIDOC family fun day in Bowen, which is set to be a day of celebrations with food, music, art, traditional dance, games, recognition of local indigenous leaders and achievers, arts and crafts, face painting and market stalls.
In addition to the week of events organised by NAIDOC, the Whitsunday Regional Libraries are also hosting NAIDOC week activities.
In Bowen library you can pick up your free bracelet activity pack from Monday 8 July to Saturday 13 July. They encourage you to take one home and enjoy a fun activity connecting with nature.
Collinsville, Proserpine and Cannonvale libraries are all hosting NAIDOC story times. Collinsville Library is hosting theirs on Wednesday 10 July at 9:30 am, Proserpine on Tuesday 9 July at 10:30 am and Cannonvale on Thursday 11 July at 10:30 am. Proserpine library is also putting on a ‘Little Library Play,’ as part of their story time.
Head along to any of the events to celebrate with NAIDOC and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is set to be a fantastic, enlightening week of activities.
‍

WHAT: NAIDOC Week
WHEN: 7-14 July

‍

NAIDOC Week celebrations at St Catherine’s Catholic College last year. Photo credit: Mackay and Whitsunday Life Newspaper

‍

Last week the annual Coffee with a Cop event was held in Cannonvale. The event takes place to encourage the community to talk to local police officers and share a coffee with them. The officers encourage locals to come and speak about any police matters or even just general day to day issues they may have.
The police were giving out free vouchers for the community to grab a coffee from a selection of vendors at the plaza. The coffees were sponsored by the plaza management. The event ran from 10am to 12pm and Sergeant Billy Li mentioned by 11:30am they had already given out 100 coffee vouchers.
“We started at 10 o'clock and it finishes at midday. So, we've been talking to a lot of people,” Billy stated.
There were eight police officers available to talk to at the event, and also some members from Police-Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC) an award-winning charity providing youth and community programs, services and facilities.
Billy wanted to also mention PCYC, and promote the programs they currently have with them. Including ‘Braking the Cycle,’ a volunteer driver mentor program designed to support learner drivers without access to a supervisor or registered vehicles to complete their logbook hours. The aim of the program is to provide young people with increased employment opportunities, community connection and driver education.
Lots of people gathered at the stalls to speak with officers while having a cup of coffee, and taking pictures of the police cars they had on display.

‍

Local Police Officers were ready to have a coffee with the public at a special event held in Cannonvale this week. Photo supplied

‍

The Bowen Community Centre is thrilled to announce the overwhelming success of its very first Gala, an event inspired by the urgent need for funding to sustain the Tucker Box Shop and Tucker Box Kitchen programs.

These vital services feed approximately 2,000 singles and families annually without any government support or fees and they are essential to the Bowen community.

The idea for the Gala was sparked by the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre's release of their Investment Guide, which highlighted innovative fundraising strategies.

This motivated the Bowen Community Centre to not only raise funds but also secure pledges from local businesses for the next four years, ensuring the sustainability and growth of these crucial programs.

The event surpassed all expectations, raising significantly more than their initial goal.

The generosity and support from the community was truly remarkable and demonstrated a shared commitment to helping those in need.

With this success, the Gala is set to become a biannual fixture, further solidifying its role in supporting the community.

Bowen Community Centre would like to extend their deepest gratitude to North Queensland Bulk Ports for their sponsorship and for sharing their vision, making this night not only successful but now a regular occurrence.

Their support has been invaluable in ensuring the continued operation of the Tucker Box Shop and Kitchen.

‍

Mayor Ry Collins with his wife Melanie
Greg Pollard, Mark Steen, Stephanie Cora and Anne Steen, Sue Shearing, Jill Brabon, Star Lowry, Lauren Miller, and Councillor John Finlay who was the Emcee for the night.

Photos supplied

‍

Mark your diaries for Whitsundays Chamber of Commerce and Industry business events for August.
 
Connecting businesses and job seekers
10am-12:30pm Thursday 1 August, TAFE Whitsunday Campus, Cannonvale
Held in conjunction with the Chamber, TAFE Queensland, and the Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business, and Training this free event will showcase workforce and training programs and services available to local businesses, school leavers, and job seekers.
 
Pop Up Chamber with Porters Mitre 10
9am-11am Thursday 8 August, 2 Carlo Drive, Cannonvale
Drop in and share morning smoko BBQ, coffee, giveaways, and more at this Pop Up Chamber co-hosted with Porters Mitre 10. This is an informal gathering of business owners and the Chamber and Porters Mitre 10 team where you can drop in, learn more about businesses in the region, get up-to-date on Chamber developments.
Pop Up Chamber is a free event for all.
 
Vision for the Whitsundays key findings launch
7:30am-9am Thursday 15 August, TAFE Whitsunday Campus, Cannonvale
Last year the Chamber engaged the region’s trades, small business, commerce and industry to articulate an economic vision for the Whitsundays that is shaped ‘for business, by business’.
Join the Chamber for the release of their Vision for the Whitsundays project, where key insights and recommendations for our economic future will be discussed.
Registrations open soon. Visit the Chamber’s website for more information: www.whitsundaycoastchamber.com.au

‍

As we navigate through the complexities of a post-COVID-19 world, the importance of domestic tourism to our region cannot be overstated.

With the latest figures indicating that domestic tourism numbers are experiencing a slowdown nationally, it is even more crucial that the Council owned and operated Whitsunday Coast Airport (WCA) remains a crucial gateway for driving tourism into our beautiful region.

Under the guidance of our Director of Commercial Businesses, Craig Turner, Whitsunday Coast Airport (WCA) has been instrumental in delivering record numbers of visitors to the Whitsundays providing key connectivity and access to our world-renowned destinations.

It is exciting that the growth has been consistent over a number of years since 2021 where 280,000 passengers passed through the terminal to a record 477,490 in 22/23 and we are tipped to crack the magic 500,000 barrier for 23/24.

The strategic importance of a high functioning airport cannot be overstated, as it not only supports the tourism industry but also boosts our local economy and creates jobs for our community.

The Whitsunday Coast Airport's role extends beyond just tourism. It is a vital link for business travel and freight, ensuring that our region remains connected and competitive.
WCA opened its Freight Distribution Centre in April 2023, and the volume of freight has grown significantly as other airlines commenced freight up lift.

Freight includes live seafood and produce, pets and animals, unaccompanied baggage, valuable possessions or custom cargo, and everything in between!

The airport's ongoing expansion and upgrade plans are set to further enhance its capacity and facilities, positioning it as a leading regional airport in Australia.

Whitsunday Regional Council recently conducted community consultation to seek input to update the WCA Masterplan from 2015 to support the development and expansion of the airport following significant growth in passenger numbers and aircraft traffic.

This updated masterplan is now complete, has been quantity surveyed for costings and is now a shovel ready project which I will be advocating for at Federal and State Government levels.

The last terminal upgrade was completed in 2019 and was designed to cater for a decade of growth but such has been the rapid growth of passenger numbers the terminal has hit capacity in less than 5 years.

Our focus as a Council must be on leveraging the strengths of the Whitsunday Coast Airport to attract more visitors. The WCA team have been proactive in this regard leveraging their partnership with Bishopp Advertising to deliver strategically placed billboards promoting flights to region in key CBD locations in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba giving our airport exposure to domestic and international tourists.

The airport's commitment to excellence in service and its strategic importance as a transportation hub are key drivers in maintaining the airport's operations and ensuring that our region remains accessible and attractive to visitors.

A big pat on the back to Craig and his dedicated team at Whitsunday Coast Airport for their hard work and commitment.

As we look to the future, it is vital that we continue to support and invest in the Whitsunday Coast Airport. Together, we can ensure that our region remains a top destination for domestic and international tourists alike, driving economic growth and prosperity for our Whitsunday region.

‍

Last week Industry Development & Trade Manager of Tourism Whitsundays Cait Fleming, travelled all around the East Coast of Australia and Adelaide to educate retail travel agents and product managers all about what the Whitsundays has to offer.

She had the privilege of travelling all over the East Coast and Adelaide with 17 other Whitsundays operators.

“We were on the road to educate retail travel agents and product managers on the variety of experiences and accommodation on offer in The Whitsundays,” she explained.

“As a collective we visited Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane in four days, speaking to nearly 300 agents and product managers in each location.  
 
“At every event, it was great to see agents we've worked with extensively as a region and new agents who have never been to The Whitsundays.  
 
“As a region, it's essential for us to do these trade engagement activities both in Australia and overseas to ensure agents stay familiar with The Whitsundays, keeping us as a prime destination in people's minds when planning their holidays.”
 
If you are interested in working with Trade, please reach out to me on cait.fleming@tourismwhitsundays.com.au - I want to help you grow your business and help to promote your products to a wider audience. 
 
Contributed by Cait Fleming, Industry Development & Trade Manager  

17 Whitsundays operators participated in the East Coast Trade Show and spoke to 300 agents in four days. Photo supplied

‍

‍